


waltz of four left feet

by yugto



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Dancing, Dancing Lessons, F/M, Filipino Yamaguchi Tadashi, Fluff and Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-11
Updated: 2020-11-11
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:07:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27502036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yugto/pseuds/yugto
Summary: They’re learning Cariñosa, a dance that’s meant to tell the story of two people flirting with each other and falling in love. Ate Kimi and her girlfriend Gabs portray this story beautifully, because they learned this dance for someone else’s debut last summer. Tadashi, on the other hand, is brand-new to the dance, and feels overwhelmingly like he and his partner are telling the story of a boy who repeatedly steps on people’s feet and a girl who just wants to leave the room.Or: Yamaguchi gets guilted into a dance performance, falls in love, and steps on people’s feet – not necessarily in that order.
Relationships: Tsukishima Kei & Yamaguchi Tadashi, Yachi Hitoka/Yamaguchi Tadashi
Comments: 4
Kudos: 10
Collections: HQ Filo Week Fic Collection





	waltz of four left feet

**Author's Note:**

> **edit 12.22.20:** retroactively making this part of hq filo week, for day 3: filipino families! i found out a little too late to write anything new, but this is my most aggressively “filipino yamaguchi agenda” fic so i figured it would be a good addition :’)
> 
> happy belated birthday yamaguchi, my sweet sunshine son, ily!! the irony is that i wrote this fic for yamaguchi’s birthday but it’s centered on someone else’s birthday. a debut is a celebration of a girl’s 18th birthday in the philippines! it’s typically very lavish and ceremonial, since it celebrates the girl’s “debut” into society. i think the most commonly-known equivalents would be quinceañeras or sweet 16 parties. 
> 
> yamaguchi is filipino-japanese in this fic! here's some tagalog vocab that may help you through reading this:  
>  _anak_ \- my child  
>  _ate_ \- older sister; also used as an honorific for older cousins/friends  
>  _nanay/nay_ \- mom  
>  _tito/tita_ \- uncle/auntie
> 
> please note yamaguchi and yachi both display some canon-typical anxiety in one scene! if this makes you uncomfortable, you can stop reading at “Maybe Tadashi should’ve expected this to happen” and pick back up at “Tadashi starts to giggle”.
> 
> title comes from [waltz of four left feet](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SccFEzGkhq8) by shirebound & busking!

Near the start of his second year of high school, Tadashi’s mother corners him when he comes home from volleyball practice. “Anak, your Ate Kimi’s debut is coming up in six months. She’s asking if you want to be part of the court.”

From vague memories of trips to the Philippines for his older cousins’ debuts, Tadashi knows that being in debut courts involves three main things: 1) getting the debutante a really nice present, 2) being in a ceremony somewhere during the event where he gives her a rose, and 3)… wait. “Uh, Nay. Doesn’t being in the court usually involve dancing?” he asks, with a nonzero amount of trepidation.

His mother opens her mouth and starts, “Yes, anak, but think about it, it would be so important to your Ate Kimi,” and from then on out, Tadashi knows it’s a losing battle. Like so many of his relatives, his mother excels at lovingly pressuring him into things; a few minutes of carefully applied familial guilt later, he ends up saying yes.

“I’ll let your Tita know you’ll be there, anak,” says his mother cheerily, as Tadashi stares at his feet and wonders just what he’s gotten himself into. “The first practice is on Saturday evening. Don’t be late!”

* * *

After volleyball that Saturday, Tadashi ducks out of the post-practice Sakanoshita run and takes the bus across town. Immediately upon stepping foot in the studio, he realizes that he’ll need a lot of extra practice to keep up with Ate Kimi’s court, as she and her fellow members of Aoba Johsai’s dance club comprise the majority of the court. On the bright side, since Ate Kimi’s in the dance club, she couldn’t care less about the Karasuno-Seijoh volleyball rivalry. Much to Tadashi’s embarrassment, though, she and her friends are already very talented dancers; meanwhile, Tadashi has to be taught starting from the absolute basics. 

They’re learning Cariñosa, a dance that’s meant to tell the story of two people flirting with each other and falling in love. Ate Kimi and her girlfriend Gabs portray this story beautifully, because they learned this dance for someone else’s debut last summer. Tadashi, on the other hand, is brand-new to the dance, and feels overwhelmingly like he and his partner are telling the story of a boy who repeatedly steps on people’s feet and a girl who just wants to leave the room.

So. The first practice doesn’t exactly go well. But if there's one thing his years of volleyball have taught him, it's this: Practice doesn't make perfect, but it sure makes better. So he spends the rest of the weekend coming up with a plan, scouting for possible places with space to dance.

His investigation comes up empty. The apartment he and his parents live in is too small; the local park is too open and exposed; the studio where his cousin practices is too far away. There's only one place left to try.

After practice wraps up on Monday, he politely asks Ennoshita if he can borrow the gym key and do some extra practice.

“Don’t push yourself too hard,” says Ennoshita with a note of faint concern, perhaps catching the nervousness in Tadashi's tone when he asks if he can borrow the gym key. As Tadashi takes the key, Ennoshita reaches out and snags Tsukki by the sleeve. “Tsukishima. Keep an eye on him, will you?”

Tsukki blinks a couple of times, then drawls, “Will do.” For the next few minutes, as everyone else clears out of the gym, Tadashi quietly freaks out and Tsukki takes a seat on the sidelines, digging in his bag for a book. When everyone else is gone and Tadashi doesn’t pick up a volleyball, Tsukki eyes him suspiciously. “Wait, you’re not working on your jump float serve?”

Tadashi takes a deep breath. Tsukki is his best friend, right? They’ve seen each other at their middle school worst. How bad could this be? “Do you remember my Ate Kimi?” Tsukki’s face is blank. “My cousin at Seijoh.” A look of vague recognition dawns on Tsukki’s face. _Good enough_ , thinks Tadashi, and runs with it. “So she’s turning eighteen this year, and in the Philippines, there’s a big party to celebrate when you turn eighteen, and part of the party is a dance performance…”

Tadashi does his best to catch Tsukki up on his new Saturday hobby in a more-or-less concise manner, and concludes, “At least if I practice here, I don’t think anyone else is gonna walk in.” Tsukki just nods slowly, taking in the tidal wave of information Tadashi has just hit him with. 

Despite the fact that _Shut up, Yamaguchi_ is practically Tsukki's catchphrase at this point in their lives, Tsukki's always been really good and considerate about Tadashi's anxiety. He's been running interference with thick sarcasm and thinly-veiled assholery since the two of them were in elementary school. At the end of the day, Tadashi can always count on Tsukki to have his back. 

When he holds his hand out to Tadashi, though, Tadashi can’t help but stare at him like he’s suddenly grown a second head.

“Oh, I’m not dancing,” Tsukki says after a beat, looking mildly disgusted at the very idea, “but if I'm here, I might as well help. Here, give me your phone. Do you have a track to practice to?"

So that week, they strike up a new post-practice routine. Every day, Tsukki bullies Hinata and Kageyama out of the gym with carefully-targeted insults, helps Tadashi clear the equipment from the floor, and then spends the next couple of hours acting as Tadashi’s DJ and reluctant coach.

“I think it would help if you had a video to refer back to,” Tsukki observes after the first few days. “You don’t look very confident in the choreography.” This stings, but it’s a fair assessment. Tadashi still isn’t sure which foot he’s supposed to start on, and although he has an idea of how each sequence in the dance goes, he’s not quite sure what order the sequences are supposed to go in yet. Tsukki continues, “Can your mom take video at the next practice?”

Tadashi grimaces. “You saw the video she took of our middle school graduation ceremony.” He loves his mother very much, but a videographer she is not. The video was shaky, and she’d been keeping up a running commentary the entire time, talking to one of his aunties. Tsukki shudders at the memory – whether he’s remembering the video or middle school in general, Tadashi doesn’t know. Either way, the point is made. 

So the next Saturday, after morning volleyball practice ends, Tsukki takes the bus across town with Tadashi to the dance studio where they’ve been practicing. He parks himself in the corner, where Tadashi’s mother is gossiping with the other aunties who only come to practice to socialize. When Tadashi stops by to check in — “Are you sure you’re gonna be okay? You don’t _have_ to be here, I can try asking my mom to take a video…” — he shoos Tadashi off to the dance floor. “Stop worrying. I’m already here, aren’t I? Besides, I’m basically your mother’s second son. I think I’ll be fine for two hours.”

Tadashi shuffles off to the other side of the room, where Ate Kimi is talking with Gabs and Tita Reyna, the auntie who’s teaching them the choreography. Quickly, he explains the situation (and who the blonde intruder in the corner of the room is, for Gabs and Tita Reyna’s benefit). Ate Kimi thinks the whole thing is hilarious, and obligingly pulls her girlfriend onto the dance floor to demonstrate the whole dance for Tsukki’s camera. Tita Reyna cues up the music and calls out instructions as they’re dancing; _step-and-step, turn, back, point! Kuradong again! Shoulders back! Ribcage lifted! Are you leaning?_ Tadashi knows these instructions are definitely more for his benefit than the dancers’; Gabs and Ate Kimi know this dance by heart at this point. 

The two of them settle into the final pose, handkerchief held triumphantly aloft between the two of them, grinning for Tsukki’s camera. Tsukki flashes them a thumbs-up at them, then puts his headphones on, tucks his phone away, and settles in with the book they’re reading for English class. The rest of practice goes as normal; Ami, Tadashi’s partner, has gotten a lot better at masking her winces when Tadashi inevitably steps on her feet. 

At the end of practice, as Ami’s shrugging off Tadashi’s apologies, Ate Kimi tells him, “You’d better know that choreography backwards and forwards by next week, Tadashi!” At the terrified look that undoubtedly flashes across his face, she just laughs and laughs. “ _Joke lang!_ Okay, remember, Gabs danced the part you need to know, so don’t go learning the girls’ choreo, alright? I’ll see you next Saturday.”

He wanders back to the corner where Tsukki’s packing up his things to overhear the tail end of a conversation. “Thank you again for helping Tadashi, Kei-kun,” says his mother.

“It’s no problem, Auntie,” Tsukki says politely, and then as soon as Tadashi’s mother is out of earshot, he hisses at Tadashi, clearly flustered, “ _Three_ of your mom’s friends tried to set me up with their daughters. _And_ one tried to set me up with her _son._ ”

Tadashi shrugs. “I did try to warn you. Oh, was that last one Auntie Mariko? She's been trying to find Jiro a boyfriend for ages.” Tsukki looks at him like he's crazy. Tadashi guesses that not even being Yamaguchi Maria's “second son” can prepare someone for the full force of his family.

“You think this was bad, just wait until Ate Kimi's debut,” he says matter-of-factly. 

Tsukki blinks, once, twice. Then, blank-faced, he asks, “I’m invited?” 

“Of course, Tsukki! You said it yourself; you’re basically my mother’s second son! You’d better prepare yourself. Even _more_ of my aunties will be there.” The blank look on Tsukki’s face morphs into one of utter horror. Tadashi pats him on the back bracingly.

* * *

At the start of Tadashi’s next practice session, he and Tsukki spend a few minutes squinting at the tiny screen of Tsukki’s phone as the video from last week’s practice plays. It’s hard to make out exactly what Gabs and Ate Kimi are doing, but Tadashi has been to enough practices at this point that he can piece together the rest with a little bit of guesswork. Tsukki cues up the music, and Tadashi falls into first position, bowing to the empty air. The runthrough goes alright for the first half of the dance, which involves more flirtatious circling around his partner than anything else. The second half of the dance, though, is decidedly awkward; Tadashi flaps a handkerchief in the air on his own and then takes his invisible partner through a waltz around the gym, feeling very silly.

“It would probably help if you had someone to dance with,” says Tsukki, as Tadashi does his best one-man approximation of the ending pose, handkerchief flapping limply in the air. “But I’m still not gonna do it. Here, I’ll run the music again.”

Stuffing the handkerchief back into his pocket, Tadashi returns to the opening pose. Tsukki taps at the screen of Tadashi’s phone, rewinding the song to the beginning; the familiar opening chords sound, and he spins in a circle and bows to his invisible partner. As he comes up out of the bow, Yachi walks into the gym. 

Tadashi promptly trips over his own feet, falling spectacularly on his ass. He’s so busy panicking, he completely misses the way Tsukki's eyes momentarily glint.

“Ah, s-sorry to interrupt, I forgot my planner in the gym! I think I left it over by the wall…” Yachi trails off, keen eyes taking in the noticeably empty gym. The music continues to play, tinny through the speakers of Tadashi’s phone. Tsukki looks unbothered from where he's sitting against the gym wall, English homework in hand and Yachi’s planner by his side. Tadashi sits there, frozen in the middle of the floor. “Um, Yamaguchi-kun, I thought you were practicing serves?”

“Yachi-san! P-Please don't tell Ennoshita-san,” Tadashi stammers, “I just needed a place to practice—” and from there, the entire story comes spilling out.

Yachi listens, vibrating nervously in the way she usually does, until Tadashi finally brings the story to a close. “Is there anything I can do to help?” she asks. 

Tadashi’s halfway through opening his mouth to say _No, not really, but it means a lot that you’d even ask_ , when Tsukki calmly cuts in, “Well, can you dance?”

* * *

Once Tadashi and Yachi finally resurface from the spluttering, anxious fit Tsukki’s words inevitably send them plunging into, Tadashi’s forced to admit that Tsukki _does_ have a point. Tsukki’s been kind enough to help Tadashi so far, but he adamantly refuses to dance; Yachi, on the other hand, is more than willing to help.

It turns out that Yachi is very clumsy, which isn’t exactly helpful when it comes to practice, but _does_ make Tadashi feel better about his own lack of grace. They step on each other’s feet about once every eight counts or so, and spend a lot of time caught up in feedback loops of apologies, but as a whole, once Yachi’s brought onboard, practice becomes a lot more fun. After they get over the initial nervousness of dancing with each other, the two of them find that they make pretty good dance partners. They’re comfortable enough with each other that they can laugh at their mistakes.

After they stumble through a couple more practices in the gym, bringing Yachi into their little dance crew – _do not call it a dance crew when you’re the only one performing_ , Tsukki grumbles – also gives them access to Yachi’s apartment, which is a much nicer practice space. (Her mom is usually out, too, which means Tadashi – and now Yachi – no longer have to live in fear of someone walking in on practice.) So Tadashi gives the gym key back to Ennoshita, and Hinata and Kageyama presumably go back to late-night practices; at Yachi’s apartment, Tsukki helps Yachi push the furniture around and shift the rugs aside to create space. With the floor clear and ready for practice, they spend a few minutes huddled together around Yachi’s computer to watch the practice video Tsukki took. 

On Yachi’s computer, the video quality is much better; no one has to squint to make out the steps. Tsukki’s surprisingly helpful when it comes to breaking down the choreography — it seems the skillset he developed from watching film of their rivals’ matches has found a new application. “Okay.” He pauses the video, setting the playback to half-speed, then steps through a sequence that Tadashi and Yachi have been having trouble with. “It looks like they step right-left-right, then go straight into a spin on that right foot, then—” he squints at the screen, rewinds it a bit— “they switch between their left and right feet. So the right foot goes back, and they point their left foot out in front of them. And then they just do all of that again, but reversed.”

“Wow, Tsukki, you’re like a dance mom,” Tadashi snickers.

With a scowl, Tsukki threatens them, “Say those words in that sequence again and I am leaving.” Yachi looks a little terrified, but Tadashi just giggles.

* * *

A couple of days later, Yachi gets pulled into tutoring Hinata and Kageyama, who are once again on the verge of failing their exams; Tsukki expertly dodges their pleas, wishing Yachi the best of luck with a mirthless smile. With both his usual practice space and his usual practice partner both out of commission for the day, Tadashi drags Tsukki to the bakery near Shimada Mart after practice.

“You really don’t have to do this,” says Tsukki, as they get in line behind a group of middle schoolers. His eyes are clearly fixated on the strawberry shortcake in the display case, though, so Tadashi ignores him and presses on.

“You’ve been helping me practice for the last three weeks now! I definitely owe you one.”

“You owe Yachi one too, then. She’s the one who’s actually dancing with you.” At the front of the line, a few high schoolers from a different school hem and haw, trying to figure out which drink to buy. Tsukki side-eyes them, then turns back to Tadashi. “You should take her here as a thank-you treat. She’d probably like the drinks.”

“Maybe we can bring her along the next time we come here!” Tadashi grins. In front of them, as two of the high schoolers at the counter hotly debate what type of coffee is the best, the third leans on the counter, blatantly flirting with the cashier. 

The delay seems to be grating on Tsukki’s nerves; so close and yet so far from his beloved strawberry shortcake, he says bluntly, “I’m saying you should bring her here on a _date_ , Yamaguchi. I’m not interested in third-wheeling.”

Tadashi’s jaw drops. The high schoolers at the front of the line finally figure out which drinks they’re buying, and order. Two of the middle schoolers in front of them step up to the counter and order, while the other two have a brief, whispered argument about which cake they’re going to split. As Tadashi’s brain kicks back into gear and he starts to sputter, Tsukki cuts across him ruthlessly. “Listen. You’ve had a crush on her since she joined the club. You’ve been dancing with her for two weeks now and she hasn’t run out the door, even though you step on her feet every sixteen counts like clockwork. She obviously likes you. Do something about it.”

“Oh, like you’ve done anything about your crush on the Nekoma captain,” Tadashi manages to shoot back, though he’s sure his face resembles a strawberry at the moment.

“This isn’t about me,” Tsukki scowls, but the tips of his ears are turning red. Deftly, he steers the conversation back toward Tadashi: “Just do something about it, Yamaguchi. If I have to watch the two of you pining forever, I’m gonna be sick.”

* * *

For the next few days, Yachi can’t help Tadashi practice, preoccupied as she is desperately trying to impress upon Hinata and Kageyama the difference between _they’re, their,_ and _there._ Tadashi hates English himself – his mother’s English is always mixed with Tagalog, to the point where Tadashi’s not quite sure what’s English vocabulary and what’s Tagalog – and Kageyama’s English skills are about on par with the average Japanese ten-year-old’s, so all things considered, Yachi’s got a task Tadashi doesn’t envy at _all_.

Her absence is probably for the best right now, since Tadashi can’t stop thinking about what Tsukki said. His one-man runs of Cariñosa become even worse than before; he loses count, claps on the wrong beats, and drops the handkerchief he’s supposed to be holding with his imaginary partner. After a few disastrous runs, Tsukki pulls him aside. “I didn’t mean for you to get awkward or anything,” he grumbles, in what Tadashi knows is the closest thing he’s going to get to an apology.

“Well, now I can’t stop thinking about it,” Tadashi points out very sensibly.

One of Tsukki’s charm points, according to the many girls who have gushed to Tadashi about him, is the fact that he seems cool, calm, collected, and above human things like “emotions”. This charm point now seems to be more of an Achilles’ heel, as he awkwardly tries to talk to Tadashi about his feelings. “It’s not like there’s anything wrong with having a crush,” he grits out, looking very much like he would rather be anywhere else right now. He’s almost Kageyama-esque in his awkwardness, but Tadashi holds that thought back out of a sense of self-preservation. “I just—” here, he scowls. Tadashi can almost visualize the gears turning in his head. After a second, he regroups, coming back from a different angle. “I just think being around her makes you happy. And if something makes you happy, you should try to hold on to it, right?”

The words are unexpectedly sweet; Tadashi blinks furiously, hoping Tsukki won’t notice how misty-eyed he is at the moment. “Aw, Tsukki, you care!” he chirps, hoping Tsukki can hear the unspoken _Thank you_ behind his words.

“We are never going to speak about this conversation again,” Tsukki volleys back immediately, and the underlying _You’re welcome_ is clear. Although overall, this conversation has been incredibly embarrassing on both ends, Tadashi appreciates the effort nonetheless.

* * *

At the end of the week, Hinata and Kageyama pass their exams by the skin of their teeth, and Yachi returns to practice. Their runs of Cariñosa are significantly less disastrous than when they started; even though she initially just stepped in for Tadashi to have someone to dance around and not step on, Yachi is getting pretty good at the dance herself. Tsukki keeps his promise and doesn’t bring up their conversation again, although Tadashi catches him shooting them significant glances when Yachi’s not looking. _Make a move, stupid,_ his glare seems to say. (Tadashi doesn’t, but not for lack of thinking about it.)

Every Saturday, Ate Kimi and the other members of her court are pleasantly surprised at how much Tadashi’s improved. Tadashi gets a handle on which sequence goes when in the dance; Ami stops looking so nervous every time Tadashi’s feet come anywhere close to hers; Tita Reyna starts to teach them formations and more advanced choreography. Everything seems to be going smoothly in the lead-up to Ate Kimi’s debut.

So of course, because the universe is random and cruel, Tadashi’s partner Ami sprains her ankle in the middle of basketball practice two weeks before the debut. His aunties’ gossip cycle is a well-oiled machine; less than two hours after Ami is escorted off the court, Tadashi hears the news from his mother when he gets home.

The next Saturday practice is decidedly more somber. The members of Ate Kimi’s court sit in a circle on the floor; some of them dart awkward glances at Tadashi, who’s suddenly down a partner and thus is first in line to be cut from the upcoming performance. 

“I don’t want to take you out, Tadashi, you’ve worked so hard. And my mom’s so traditional, you know she’ll still want me to have eighteen people perform. But _ugh_ , does anyone else in Miyagi even know Cariñosa?” Ate Kimi asks despondently, slumped on Gabs’ shoulder. It’s a fair question. The Filipino community in Miyagi isn’t very big; most of the kids in their generation have already been pulled into performing in this debut, and anyone who’s not here is away at university.

“Well, um…” Tadashi starts uncertainly. Sixteen heads swivel to look at him. “I know someone who might be able to step in.”

* * *

“You said _what?!_ ” Yachi squeaks, her fork frozen halfway between her plate and her mouth. The piece of cake speared on her fork wobbles precariously.

They’re at the bakery by Shimada Mart. Tadashi figures that before making such a big ask, it would probably be best to make an offering of some kind. Tsukki’s not there, citing a literature exam tomorrow as his reason for skipping practice; the _Good luck, have fun_ text on his phone implies that maybe he just doesn’t want to third-wheel on what he thinks is a date.

This outing doesn’t _feel_ much like a date, mostly because Tadashi and Yachi are both on the edge of a nervous breakdown. But Tadashi obligingly takes a deep breath to calm his racing heart and walks it back, explaining everything from Ami’s sprained ankle on forward.

“But my cousin said that if you’re not okay with it, you don’t have to do the performance,” he rushes to reassure Yachi at the end.

They sit quietly for a moment. Yachi picks at her cake, deep in thought, then sets her fork down with a gentle _clink_. “It’s important to you, though, right, Yamaguchi-kun? And to your cousin too…” It looks for a moment like she’s fighting to figure out her next words, before she bursts out, fists clenched, “Th-Then I’ll do my best!”

Tadashi stares for a second, before his brain catches up and he beams. “Really?! Thank you so much, Yachi-san!”

* * *

The next Saturday, Tsukki and Yachi hop on the bus across town with Tadashi to the dance studio. (Per Tadashi’s request, Tsukki is there mainly to run interference for Yachi, being slightly more used to Tadashi’s aunties than Yachi is.) Predictably, his aunties converge on Tsukki as Yachi and Tadashi make their way to the dance floor.

This week, they’re practicing in their performance outfits for the first time. Before that, though, they’ve got to run through the dance at least once to make sure Yachi can keep up. Ate Kimi and her friends are really kind to Yachi; over the first fifteen minutes of practice, Tadashi can see the tension in her shoulders visibly relax. (Her hands are still shaking a little when they start their runthrough, but really, Tadashi thinks, he thought both of them would be hyperventilating outside the studio door at this point. They’re both doing way better than expected.)

All things considered, the runthrough goes smoothly; neither of them trip over anything, and Tadashi only steps on Yachi’s feet once. Tita Reyna gives them an approving nod as they settle into the final pose, handkerchief held outstretched between them. “Good work, everyone,” she calls, clapping her hands sharply. “We’re going to go try on outfits now. Ladies, come with me.”

“Yachi-chan, where has my cousin been hiding you all this time?” Ate Kimi asks, hustling Yachi off to the other side of the dance floor. As Yachi shoots Tadashi a vaguely terrified look, Ate Kimi looks back, calling over her shoulder, “Tadashi, go with Gabs and the rest, Tito Jing is going to have you try on barongs.”

Tito Jing takes them into an adjoining room and spends the next fifteen minutes outfitting them in barongs, long-sleeved white collared shirts with embroidery running in straight lines down the front. The fabric they’re woven from is stiff and faintly itchy; Tadashi scratches idly at his neck as he and the rest of the boys (and Gabs) troop back to the studio.

It’s quick work getting outfitted in barongs, since everyone wearing them just has to pull them on over their t-shirts. As the boys come in, it’s immediately clear that the girls have had to put in significantly more work. Flowers hot-glued to hairclips, safety pins, shawls, and wraps are strewn across the floor. Gabs peels off from the boys, crossing the floor to help the last of the girls pin shawls around their shoulders and wraps around their waists.

From the midst of the girls, Yachi emerges, beaming. “Yamaguchi-kun, these outfits are so pretty!” 

She twirls around to show off the outfit in question, and Tadashi has to actively work to keep his jaw off the floor. She’s dressed in a long, cream-colored gown, with a red piece of gauze pinned around her waist; the skirt flares out as she spins. A gold shawl is pinned to her shoulders, slightly lopsided, and a black choker is wound around her neck. Her hair has been pulled back into a bun, and a set of little sampaguita flowers is pinned by her ear. “I feel like a princess!” she chirps.

Before Tadashi can embarrass himself forever by saying something like _You look beautiful_ , Ate Kimi saves him, calling, “Yachi-chan, come back here real quick, your panuelo is crooked. Oi!” she scolds, turning to the rest of the girls with her hands on her hips. “Who pinned her?”

Yachi runs back to the rest of the girls; Tadashi takes this opportunity to text Tsukki, _She’s so cute I’m gonna die_. Tsukki just replies with a picture of Tadashi, surreptitiously snapped from across the room, and a blunt _Close your mouth, Yamaguchi, you’ll catch flies_. A moment later, he follows up with _Also, all your aunties are asking if Yachi’s your girlfriend. There’s only so much interference I can run._

Tadashi darts a glance at the corner, where his aunties are gossiping as per usual. One of them catches his eye and shoots him a very obvious wink and a thumbs up. Tadashi, slowly turning red, shuffles back to the dance floor and resigns himself to being grilled about Yachi for the next few weeks at least.

* * *

Maybe Tadashi should’ve expected this to happen, but when he and Yachi end up hyperventilating right before the performance, it still comes as a surprise.

They’ve made it through most of the debut program already. Tadashi’s handed off his nice gift and his rose without incident. Ami, on crutches, has been able to participate in the ceremonies, and cheerfully wished Yachi luck just a few moments ago. They just need to survive the performance, then Ate Kimi will make her speech, and they’ll be in the clear. Unfortunately, the pre-performance jitters have hit them with a vengeance; in the hallway outside the hotel ballroom where the debut is happening, the two of them are absolutely freaking out.

“I’m gonna die,” Yachi moans, pacing back and forth. The skirt of her gown billows dramatically around her every time she turns. “I’m going to trip in these heels and I’m going to fall on my butt in front of your _whole family_ and die.”

“You’ve been doing great during practice!” Tadashi reassures her from where he’s sitting by the wall, his knees pulled up to his chest and his forehead resting on his knees. “But ugh. What if I step on your feet in front of everyone? My aunties will never let me hear the end of it.”

Yachi stops in her tracks and plants her hands on her hips, swiveling to face Tadashi. “But _you’ve_ been working so hard, Yamaguchi-kun!” she volleys back. “You’ve been practicing for ages with everyone!” She starts pacing again. “But me, I just started. What do I know?”

Tadashi starts to giggle.

“S-sorry,” he says, when Yachi stops pacing again to stare at him, “it’s just—don’t you think it’s funny? Every time one of us freaks out, the other one stops freaking out to say something nice, and then we both start hyperventilating again.”

Yachi laughs. “I guess we balance each other out well that way.” Less than a second later, she claps her hand over her mouth, turning a delicate shade of pink.

At that moment, Gabs pokes her head out into the hallway. “Yamaguchi-kun, Yachi-chan, I hate to interrupt, but are you ready? Do I need to get you a paper bag or anything? We’re on in three minutes.”

“I think we’re ready,” Yachi says, darting an uncertain glance at Tadashi, who’s still on the floor. Flashing them a thumbs-up, Gabs ducks back into the ballroom. 

Tadashi takes a deep breath. Dusting himself off, he gets up off the floor, offering Yachi his arm like he’s a gentleman and not an awkward teenager who just spent the last fifteen minutes hyperventilating. “Shall we?” He pretends his heart isn’t speeding up when she takes his arm, and they return to the curtained-off part of the ballroom that serves as their backstage area.

* * *

The opening chords ring out over the speakers, and just like every practice in the Karasuno gym and Yachi’s apartment, they spin in a circle; Tadashi bows, and Yachi curtsies. From there, it’s a sequence of sidestepping and waving at each other, then a sequence of the _step-and-step, turn, back, point_ move that Tsukki walked them through so long ago, then waltzing around each other while maintaining a careful, flirtatious distance. 

They move into the final part of the dance, where there’s the most potential for accidents. Yachi snags the handkerchief from where it’s hanging out of Tadashi’s pocket, and they pretend to fight over it, sneaking glances at each other around the cloth stretched between them. After a few eight-counts of play-fighting, Yachi snatches the handkerchief from Tadashi’s hands, holding it behind her back and waltzing backwards. Tadashi takes a deep breath and reaches out, taking Yachi’s hand and spinning her into a ballroom hold. From the audience, there are oohs and aahs; from the back, one of Ate Kimi’s friends yells, “ _Yeah, get it, Gabs!!!_ ” Scattered giggles follow them into the final waltz sequence, where both of them somehow, despite the distractions, manage to avoid stepping on each other’s feet. 

The final chords play, Tadashi spins Yachi out, and they settle into the ending pose. Handkerchief stretched between them, they grin at the audience as cameras flash and people cheer. In the audience, Tadashi spots Tsukki, phone camera held aloft, at a table with his mom and a few of his aunts.

They make their way off the dance floor, arm in arm, and to the curtained-off backstage area. Almost as soon as the curtains close behind them, they’re hustled off into the changing rooms. “Change quickly, Kimi’s doing her speech soon,” Tita Reyna hisses.

Once Tadashi’s changed back into the button-up and tie his mom made him wear, he ducks back into the hallway. (Ate Kimi will forgive him if he can still hear her speech from here, right?) A few moments later, Yachi appears, having swapped out her gown for a knee-length, sleeveless light blue dress with a flower pattern around the hem. When she spots him, she throws her arms around him in a fierce hug. “That was amazing, Yamaguchi-kun! That was almost a perfect run!” Impulsively, she plants a feather-light kiss on his cheek, then immediately freezes up and pulls back. “Oh my gosh, Yamaguchi-kun, I’m so sorry, I wasn’t thinking, and I— _aaaah_ , please don’t be mad, this definitely isn’t how I wanted to confess to you, this is so embarrassing—” 

Despite the fact that most of Tadashi’s brain functions right now are devoted to internally screaming, and his face is redder than a tomato, he manages to catch Yachi by the shoulders before she can make a run for it. “N-no, there’s no need to apologize, Yachi-san! We make good dance partners.” Then, because he’s already here anyway, he plunges forward. “A-and, um, to be honest, I’ve liked you for a while now.”

Yachi freezes once again, but looks up with a cautious hope in her eyes. “Really?”

“Oh my god, _finally_ ,” says a familiar voice from behind them. They both whip their heads around to see Tsukki in the doorway, a paper plate of food held carefully in his hands. “Don’t tell your aunties I’m here,” he says. “They’re all trying to force-feed me or set me up with their kids. I’m not sure which is worse.” 

Inside, the speech comes to a close, and the emcee takes the microphone to announce that dancing will start soon. Tsukki waves a lumpia dismissively at them, in a way that seems to say _You kids have fun_. With a smile, Tadashi turns back to Yachi and holds out his hand.

“May I have this dance?”

**Author's Note:**

> ok now confession time: i have never been to a debut and did not have one myself (almost all my friends in hs were white, and i asked my mom about having one when i was 17 and she looked me in the eye and said “do you think we’re that rich?”). if you are someone who had a debut or went to one, i hope this felt accurate aha. in non-pandemic times, i am in a filipino dance troupe, so the dance scenes were very fun to write!
> 
> if you liked this, consider leaving a comment or giving the [promo tweet](https://twitter.com/tadhanastar/status/1333176873438769153?s=20) a rt! i’m on twitter [@tadhanastar](https://twitter.com/tadhanastar) if you want to yell about any and all filo haikyuu headcanons :^)


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